Liquid crystal display having repair lines that cross data lines twice and cross gate lines in the active area and related repairing methods

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display having repair lines and methods of repairing defect in the same. The liquid crystal display comprises a plurality of gate lines in horizontal direction, a plurality of data lines perpendicular thereto, and a plurality of repair lines repeatedly formed corresponding to a fixed number of data lines. The repair line comprises an upper portion crossing top of the data lines, a lower portion crossing bottom of the data lines, and a middle portion which is parallel to the data line connecting the upper and the lower portions. A repair line is formed repeatedly for each data-line block which consists of data lines in any multiples of three. Under the above wiring structure, a disconnected data line is repaired by shorting the crossing points of the data line and the repair line corresponding to the data-line block of the disconnected data line.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display and, moreparticularly, a liquid crystal display having repair lines and methodsof repairing a defect thereof.

The liquid crystal display (LCD) is a device comprising a thin filmtransistor substrate, a color filter substrate, and liquid crystalsinserted between the two, whereby the electro-optical effects of theinserted liquid crystals are used for display purposes.

The display method above may use simple matrix method or active matrixmethod. For LCDs using the active matrix method, thin film transistors(TFT) are generally used as switching devices for controlling operationof each pixel, and the TFT substrate of such LCDs comprises TFTs, pixelelectrodes, gate lines for applying signals to pixels aligned in matrixformation, and data lines for applying picture signals.

When a data line of the active matrix LCD is disconnected or defective(hereinafter "disconnection" will be used to refer to either adisconnection or defect in a data line), the disconnection can berepaired by using lines within the unit pixel or using repair linesplaced outside of the substrate of LCD. Under the former method, onemust first locate the disconnected data line and then find the point ofdisconnection on the data line. However, it is difficult to find thepoint of disconnection and the repair becomes impossible when thedisconnection occurs over two or more pixels.

Under the latter method, it is only required to locate the disconnecteddata line and there is no need to find the point of disconnection. Thenonly the crossing points of the disconnected data line and the repairline has to be shorted by laser, allowing for a much simpler repairingmethod.

From this point, the wiring structure of TFT substrate of conventionalLCD and its disconnection repairing method shall be explained in detail.FIG. 1 is a wiring structure of conventional TFT substrate having tworepair lines in the shape of a closed loop. As shown, a plurality ofgate lines (G₁ ˜G_(n)) are arranged in horizontal direction, and aplurality of data lines (D₁ ˜D_(m)) are arranged in vertical direction,and each of gate lines and data lines has an input pad on one end. Apixel is defined by the gate line and the data line. An active areaconsists of all the pixels.

On the outside of the active area 50 having (n×m) number of pixels, tworepair lines 100, 200 form two closed loop, each overlapping all datalines and gate lines at two points.

FIG. 2 illustrates a repairing method of the TFT substrate shown inFIG. 1. Suppose data line D₄ and data line D₇ are disconnected at pointa and point b, respectively. The data line D₄ may be repaired byshorting its two crossing points a₁, a₂ with the repair line 100 anddisconnecting two points marked //, of the repair line 100 with laser sothat picture signals could flow through the shorter path. In this way, apicture signal is sent to the disconnected point a of the data line D₄by path P₁ from the top, and the signal is sent to the remaining portionof the data line D₄ by path P₁ '.

Then the data line D₇ may be repaired by shorting its two crossingpoints b₁, b₂ with the repair line 200 and disconnecting two points ofthe data line D₇ marked by //, of the repair line 200 with laser. Inthis way picture signals as with before are sent to the disconnectedpoint b from top by path P₂, and the signal is sent to the remainingportion of the data line D₇ below the disconnection by path P₂ '.

However, the TFT substrate having repair lines outside of the activearea in closed loops would experience substantial electrical resistancewhen repairing a disconnected data line in the middle of active areasince the signal path for sending signals to the data line below thedisconnection becomes quite lengthy. In addition to large resistance,there would be a substantial parasitic capacitance increase since therepair line overlaps numerous data and gate lines, resulting in increaseof RC delay and signal distortion.

Therefore, the conventional repair line structure above is not suitablefor a large LCD with many data lines and gate lines. It is alsoinconvenient since it involves an additional step of disconnecting therepair line to guide the flow of signals through the shorter path aroundthe repair line, as well as a step of shorting the crossing points ofthe repair line and the disconnected data line. Moreover, the most datalines that could be repaired are limited to four.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to solve the problems associatedwith the conventional repair wire line structure by repeatedly forming arepair line for each of a predetermined number of data lines, therebyminimizing the increase of RC delay resulting from the repair and makingdata line repair easy.

Accordingly, a liquid crystal display according to the present inventioncomprises: a plurality of gate lines arranged in horizontal direction; aplurality of data lines arranged perpendicular thereto; a plurality ofrepair lines formed repeatedly for each of a predetermined number ofdata lines, the repair lines crossing the gate lines in the active area.

According to a one preferred embodiment of the present invention, therepair line comprises an upper portion crossing top of the data lines, alower portion crossing bottom of the data lines, and a middle portionwhich is parallel to the data line connects the upper and the lowerportions. A repair line is formed repeatedly for each data-line blockincluding data lines in any multiple of three. A disconnected data lineis repaired by shorting the crossing points of the data line and therepair line corresponding to the data-line block of the disconnecteddata line, making its repair procedure simpler and resulting in shortersignal path after the repair in comparison to the conventional repairmethod.

Another preferred embodiment of the present invention is directed toeliminating a problem of noticeable pixel brightness differenceresulting after the repair with respect to green data line. The middleportion of the repair line is formed adjacent to the green data line andthey are connected at one or more points to minimize the generation ofRC delay due to the repair so that difference in green pixel brightnesswould not be noticed.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention in connectionwith a liquid crystal display having duplicate gate lines, a repair lineincludes only a middle portion which is placed parallel to the datalines and secondary gate lines serve as the upper and lower portions ofthe repair line.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The forgoing and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will become more readily apparent from the following detaileddescription of preferred embodiments of the present invention whichproceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a wiring structure of a conventional TFT substrate having tworepair lines formed in closed loops;

FIG. 2 illustrates repairing method of the TFT substrate shown in FIG.1;

FIGS. 3 to 8 show the wiring structure of TFT LCD according to a firstpreferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 illustrates repairing method of a disconnected data line in theTFT substrate of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 shows the wiring structure of TFT LCD according to a secondpreferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrate repairing method of a disconnected green andred data lines of FIG. 10;

FIGS. 13 and 14 show equivalent circuits which represent electricalresistance and parasitic capacitance resulting from the electrical linesof TFT LCD according to the first and second preferred embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 15 illustrates a repairing method of a disconnected data line ofTFT LCD having duplicate gate lines according to a third preferredembodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 16 and 17 illustrate a repairing method of a disconnected dataline of TFT LCD having duplicate gate lines and repair lines parallelwith data lines according to a fourth preferred embodiment of thepresent invention; and

FIG. 18 shows a wiring structure of an LCD having duplicate gate linesand connections according to a fifth preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 3 to 8 shows the wiring structure of TFT LCD according to a firstpreferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown, a plurality ofgate lines (G₁ ˜G_(n)) are arranged in parallel to each other inhorizontal direction, and a plurality of data lines (D₁ ˜D_(m)) arearranged perpendicular thereto. Input pads 1, 2 which receiveselectrical signals from external source are connected to one end of thegate lines and data lines. A plurality of repair lines 300 for repairingdisconnected data lines are formed wherein each repair line 300corresponds to each data-line block (B₁ ˜B_(n)). The data-line blockcomprises three data lines, whereby all data lines within a data-lineblock overlap with the corresponding repair line 300.

The repair line 300 comprises a first horizontal portion 300a whichtransverses the upper end of the data lines whereto the input pads 2 isconnected, a second horizontal portion 300b which transverses the otherend of the data lines, and a vertical portion 300c, formed in parallelto the data lines, which connects the first horizontal portion 300a andthe second horizontal portion 300b. The vertical portion 300ctransverses the gate lines in the active area, and is placed adjacent tothe data line of the data-line block to which it correspond.

In FIGS. 3 to 5, the first and second horizontal portions 300a, 300btransverse only the three data lines within a data-line block.

In FIGS. 3 and 4, the vertical portion 300c is placed between twodata-line blocks. In FIG. 3, the vertical portion 300c connects theright ends of the first horizontal portion 300a and the secondhorizontal portion 300b. In FIG. 4, on the other hand, the verticalportion 300c connects the left ends of the first horizontal portion 300aand the second horizontal portion 300b.

The vertical portion 300c may also be placed within a data-line block,i.e., between the data lines of a data-line block. As an example, thevertical portion 300c is placed between the first and the second datalines in FIG. 5.

FIGS. 6 to 8 illustrate the TFT substrate wherein the first horizontalportion 300a and the second horizontal portion 300b of the repair line300 transverse the data lines (six data lines) of two adjacent data-lineblocks. Each data line is crossed by two repair lines 300. The first andsecond horizontal portions 300a, 300b of one of the repair line 300cross the data lines from inside, and the first and second horizontalportions 300a, 300b of the other repair line cross the data line fromoutside.

In FIGS. 6 and 7, the vertical portion 300c is placed between twodata-line blocks. In FIG. 6, the vertical portion 300c is connected toone end of the first horizontal portion 300a and the second horizontalportion 300b. In FIG. 7, the vertical portion 300c connects to themiddle of the first horizontal portion 300a and the second horizontalportion 300b.

On the other hand, a first embodiment of the present inventionillustrated in FIG. 8 shows that the vertical portion 300c is placedwithin one of its two corresponding data-line block.

In addition, the present invention may also be worked by increasing thesize of a data-line block from three to six data lines. The wiringstructure would remain the same as shown in FIGS. 3 to 8, except thenumber of data lines in a data-line block would be increasedaccordingly, whereby the first and second horizontal portions 300a, 300beach cross six data lines or twelve data lines, depending on theparticular type of embodiment being worked.

Hereinafter, for FIGS. 3 to 5, a repair line which crosses data lineswill be referred as the repair line of the data-line block to which thecrossed data lines belong, and for FIGS. 6 to 8, a repair line whichcrosses data lines from inside will be referred as the repair line ofthe data-line block to which the crossed data lines belong.

FIG. 9 illustrates a repairing method of the TFT substrate of FIG. 6. Asshown, suppose that the data lines D₁, D₂ of the first data-line blockB₁ are disconnected. In order to repair the data line D₁, the crossingpoints c₁, c₂ of the data line D₁ and the repair line of the firstdata-line block are shorted (▴) with laser. As a result, picture signalsare sent from the input pad 2 to the disconnection c by path P₁, andsent to the remaining portion below the disconnection c by path P1'.

Next in order to repair the data line D₂, the crossing points d₁, d₂ ofthe data line D₂ and the repair line of the second data-line block areshorted (▴) with laser. As a result, picture signals are sent from theinput pad 2 to the disconnection d by path P₂, and sent to the remainingportion below the disconnection d by path P₂ '.

As illustrated, the repair signal path for sending picture signals to adisconnected data line would be shorter than that of the conventionalrepair line structure, irrespective of where the disconnection occurs ifthe above repair line structure is used.

Moreover, in comparison to the conventional repair line structure in theform of a closed loop which allows for repairing of only four datalines, many more repairs may be made under the present invention since aplurality of repair lines are formed repeatedly on the TFT substrate.Further, since the repair lines under the present invention has anopening on one side in contrast to a closed loop, the only necessaryrepairing step is to short the two crossing points of the repair lineand the disconnected data line. There is no need for an additional stepof disconnecting one side of the repair line to direct the flow ofsignal to one path.

The above repairing method also applies to an embodiment of the presentinvention wherein the horizontal portions of a repair line cross sixdata lines.

With respect to the first preferred embodiment, the signal path afterthe repair is substantially longer than the signal path before therepair; consequently, RC delay resulting from the resistance andcapacitance after the repair is greater than that before the repair.Therefore, the pixel brightness varies slightly after the repair. Thisslight difference in pixel brightness does not pose a problem inconnection with repairing of red and blue data lines, but this is notthe case when a green data line is repaired since human eyes are muchmore sensitive to the wave length of the green light (550 nm) than thatof other lights.

That is, suppose red, blue, and green data lines each are disconnectedat the same location and repaired according to the first preferredembodiment. The repaired data lines each would have identical RC delayvalue resulting from resistance and capacitance generated from thesignal path after the repair and would have identical difference inpixel brightness. However, one would not notice the difference in pixelbrightness of the repaired red data line and the repaired blue dataline, but would notice the difference in pixel brightness of therepaired green data line.

The second first preferred embodiment of the present invention concernsminimizing the difference in pixel brightness of green data line. FIG.10 illustrates the wiring structure of the second first preferredembodiment. In FIG. 10, data lines are arranged repeatedly in order ofblue, red, green data lines from the left, and the vertical portion 300cof the repair line 300 is placed on the right side of the green dataline. The vertical portion 300c is connected to the mid-point of thegreen data line. The connection (m₁ ˜m_(i)) as should be explainedhereinafter reduces resistance and parasitic capacitance resulting fromthe data line repair, thereby difference in green light brightness isminimized after the repair.

The modification of adding a connection between the green data line andthe vertical portion 300c may be made on any of the embodimentsillustrated in FIGS. 3 to 8.

FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrate a repairing method of the TFT substratehaving connections m₁ ˜m_(i) between the vertical portions 300c and thegreen data lines. More specifically, FIG. 11 illustrates repairingmethod when the green data line D₃ is disconnected, and FIG. 12illustrates repairing method when the red data line D₂ is disconnected.

As shown in FIG. 11, when the green data line D₃ is disconnected, thecrossing points e₁, e₂, of the green data line D₃ and its repair line300 are shorted (▴) with laser. As a result, picture signals are sentdirectly to the disconnection e from the input pad 2, and to the dataline below the disconnection e by means of the repair line 300 and theconnection m₁.

As shown in FIG. 12, when a red data line is disconnected, theconnection of its repair line is located and disconnected with laser.Then the crossing points f₁, f₂ of the red data line and its repairlines are shorted (▴) with laser. As a result, picture signals are sentdirectly to the disconnection f of the red data line from the input pad2, and to the data line below the disconnection f by means of the repairline 300. Although the above method concerns repairing of a disconnectedred data line, similar method may be used for repairing of adisconnected blue data line.

The effectiveness of adding the connections m₁ ˜m_(i) will be explainedbelow by comparing resistance and capacitance resulting from repairing adisconnected green data line under two different embodiments, oneincluding the connections m₁ ˜m_(i) and the other without it.

FIGS. 13 and 14 shows equivalent circuits of resistance and capacitanceappearing on a data line repaired according to the first and secondfirst preferred embodiments, wherein the disconnection had occurrednearby the input pad 2.

Suppose a disconnected green data line is being repaired. The picturesignal being sent to the portion of the green data line below thedisconnection would experience resistance resulting from the paths ofthe data line and the repair line and would experience parasiticcapacitance resulting from overlap of the repair and data lines with thegate lines. The resulting resistance and parasitic capacitance areillustrated in FIGS. 13 and 14. A node 1 on the first horizontal portionand a node n on the second horizontal portion are the crossing points ofthe disconnected data line and its repair line, and nodes i₁, i₂ aremid-points of the vertical portion 300c and the disconnected data line,respectively, and a node o is the disconnection point.

Since the disconnection is assumed to have occurred very close to theinput pad, the length from the input pad 2 to the mid-point of therepair line is almost the same as the length from the disconnection tothe mid-point of the disconnected data line, as with the number of gatelines overlapped by the respective path.

Assuming that the data line and the repair line are both made of thesame material and have the same cross sectional dimensions, it may beassumed that the resistance and the parasitic capacitance between thenodes 1 and i₁ are the same as those between the nodes o and i₂, and theresistance and the parasitic capacitance between the nodes i1 and n arethe same as those between the nodes i₂ and n.

However, this is not entirely true because there is a TFT on thecrossing point of the data line and the gate line unlike in the overlapof the repair line and the gate line, resulting in formation ofparasitic capacitance in the former overlap. Therefore, in reality totalparasitic capacitance generated between the nodes o and n is greaterthan that generated between the nodes 1 and n.

With this in mind, the resistance and capacitance values in the nodesmay be denoted as follows. When the resistance between the nodes o andi₂ and between the nodes i₂ to n are denoted as R₁ and R₂, respectively,the resistance between the nodes 1 and i₁ and between the nodes i₁ and nmay be denoted as R₁ and R₂, respectively. When the parasiticcapacitance between the nodes o and i₂ and between the nodes i₂ and nare denoted as C₁ and C₂, respectively, the parasitic capacitancebetween the nodes 1 and i₁ and between the nodes i₁ and n may be denotedas kC₁ and kC₂, respectively, where k is a constant less than 1 insertedto offset the lower parasitic capacitance generated by the repair linerelative to the data line.

In the equivalent circuit of FIG. 13, the total RC delay resulting fromtransmittal of signals from node G to node O is accumulation of RC delayresulting from (R₁ ×kC₁ ), (R₂ ×kC₂), (R₂ ×C₂), and (R₁ ×C₁).

In comparison, in the equivalent circuit of FIG. 14 wherein in theconnection m₁ is inserted between the repair line and the data line, thetotal RC delay resulting from transmittal of signal from node G to nodeO is accumulation of RC delay resulting from (R₁ ×kC₁) and (R₁ ×C₁).Therefore, the total RC delay value according to the second firstpreferred embodiment is much less than that of the first preferredembodiment.

Moreover, if connections are added at the upper and lower parts of thegreen data line and the repair line in addition to the connection m₁ atthe mid-point, there is no need to repair a green data line when adisconnection results thereon.

FIG. 15 illustrates a third first preferred embodiment of the presentinvention on repairing method of a disconnected data line in the TFTsubstrate having duplicate gate lines. The duplicate gate line comprisesa primary branch which forms a plurality of the gate electrodes of TFTtransistors, and a secondary branch which is connected to the primarybranch. With respect to such TFT substrates, the technique of the secondfirst preferred embodiment may be worked without inserting a connectionbetween the green data line and the repair line. The structure of therepair line illustrated in FIG. 15 is the same as that illustrated inFIG. 5. The first data line in each data-line block is a green dataline.

Assume a green data line is disconnected. In order to repair the greendata line, the crossing point g₁ of the first horizontal line 300a andthe green data line and the crossing point g₂ of the second horizontalline 300b and the green data line are shorted (▴) with laser. Thecrossing point g₃ of the secondary branch G_(r) and the green data line,and the crossing point g₄ of the secondary branch G_(r) located at themiddle of the active region and the vertical portion 300c of the repairline 300 are shorted (▴) with laser. Then points // outside nodes g₃ andg₄ are disconnected with laser in order prevent gate line signals frombeing applied to the green data line. Nodes g₃ and g₄ performs the samefunction as the connection m₁ of the second first preferred embodiment.Although the third first preferred embodiment used a secondary branchG_(r) located at the middle of the active region in place of theconnection m₁, the repair according to the third first preferredembodiment may be performed by using a secondary branch G_(r) located atplaces other than at the middle of the active region.

On the other hand, instead of using repair lines having two horizontalportions and a vertical portion, it is possible to use repair lineshaving only a vertical portion, i.e., a portion which is parallel todata lines, in a TFT substrate having duplicate of gate lines. Note thevertical portion itself comprises the entire repair line.

FIG. 16 shows the fourth first preferred embodiment of the presentinvention having such a wiring structure. A repair line 310 is placedparallel to data lines and adjacent to a green data line.

Assume that the green data line is disconnected and the exact locationof the point of disconnection is not known. The green data line may berepaired as follows. First, the secondary branch G_(r) of the uppermostgate line G₁, the secondary branch G_(r) of the central gate line G_(i),the secondary branch G_(r) of the lowermost gate line G_(m) are shorted(▴) with laser on their crossing points with the disconnected green dataline and the repair line 310 adjacent thereto, i.e., the points h₁, h₂,h₃, h₄, h₅, and h₆. The points h₇, h₈, h₉, h₁₀, h₁₁, h₁₂ outside theshorted portions of the secondary branches G_(r) are disconnected. As aresult, the shorted portion h₁ and h₂ and the shorted portion h₃ and h₄functions as the horizontal portions 300a, 300b of the repair line inFIG. 15, and the shorted portion h₅ and h₆ functions as the connectionm₁ in FIG. 12.

The above method may be used to repair disconnected red and blue datalines as well. Although FIG. 16 illustrated use of the secondary branchG_(r) of the central gate line G_(i), it is possible to use secondarybranch G_(r) of other gate lines to function as the connection betweenthe disconnected data line and the repair line.

If the point of disconnection is known, the increase of RC delayresulting from repair may be reduced even more by using the followingmethod. As shown in FIG. 17, assume the point of disconnection j isbetween the gate line G_(j-1) and G_(j). The secondary branches G_(r) ofgate lines G_(j-1), G₁ are shorted (▴) at the crossing points with thedisconnected green date line and the repair line 310 adjacent thereto,i.e., the points j₁, j₂, j₃ and j₄. The points outside j₅, j₆, j₇, j₈ ofthe shorted portions of the secondary branches G_(r) are disconnectedwith laser. Also the points outside j₉, j₁₀ the shorted portions j₂, j₄of the repair line 310 are disconnected with laser as well. As can beseen, the length of signal path after the repair is minimized and thusRC delay also is minimized.

On the other hand, by adding an additional connection to the third andfourth first preferred embodiments, a disconnected primary gate G_(m)may be repaired by sending gate signals through the additionalconnection and a secondary gate line G_(r). FIG. 18 illustrates such ameans of repair according to a fifth preferred first preferredembodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 18, which shows duplicate gate lines of primary gate lines G_(m)and a secondary gate line G_(r), the upper part and the lower part of afirst connection 320 overlaps a data line 10 and connects to a secondarygate line G_(r), respectively, and a second connection 330 connects to aprimary gate line G_(m) and the upper part of the first connection 320.Each of the second connection 330 is formed for a predetermined numberof pixels. The primary gate line G_(m), the secondary gate line G_(r),the first connection 320, and the second connection 330 are formed onthe same layer.

The gate lines above are covered with a gate insulator (not shown) whichis in turn covered with a semiconductor layer 20, which is comprised ofan amorphous silicon layer and a highly-doped amorphous silicon layer. Asource electrode 11, a drain electrode 12, and a data line 10 are formedon the same layer over the semiconductor layer 20. A data repair line310 is formed for a predetermined number of pixels in parallel to thedata line 10. A protective layer (not shown) is placed over the layerabove. A contact hole 30 is formed on the protective layer on top of thedrain electrode 12. A pixel electrode overlaps on top of the firstconnection 320 and the primary and secondary lines G_(m) and G_(r) andconnects to the drain electrode 12 through the contact hole 30. Storagecapacitance is generated at a point where the pixel electrode 40overlaps the first connection 320 and the primary and secondary gatelines G_(m) and G_(r).

The data repair line 310 is for repairing a disconnected data line asshown in FIGS. 16 and 17. For example, suppose a data line 10 isdisconnected at point k. The secondary gate lines G_(r) on above andbelow point k are shorted on the overlapping points k₁, k₂, k₃, and k₄with the disconnected data line 10 and a data repair line in closeproximity to point k. Then parts outside of the shorted secondary gatelines G_(r) defined between the shorted points are disconnected atpoints k₅, k₆, k₇, and k₈. As a result, data signals are sent below thedisconnected point k₁ through the data repair line 320.

The first and second connections 320 and 330 are for repairing adisconnected primary gate line G_(r). When a primary gate line G_(r) isdisconnected, gate signals are sent by detour rout through the firstconnection 320, the second connection 330, and the secondary gate lineG_(m).

Although the data repair line 310 and the second connection 330 areformed for a plurality of pixels in FIG. 18, they may be formed each fora single pixel. Where they are formed each for a plurality of pixels,they should be each formed for a unit. Preferably, pixels should begrouped in units of three: red, green, and blue pixels. In particular,the data repair line 310 should be placed adjacent to a green data lineas described in the third and fourth preferred embodiments of thepresent invention.

Although FIG. 18 does not have the second connection 330 overlapped withthe pixel electrode 40, they may be arranged to be overlapped with eachother and generate storage capacitance.

As described above, by repairing a disconnected data line according tothe preferred embodiments of the present invention, the data repairlines may be shortened, which reduces electrical resistance andparasitic capacitance, thus minimizing picture signal distortion. Also,the present invention allows for repairing almost all data lines.Furthermore, the repairing process of a disconnected data line issubstantially simplified by merely shortening two points on the dataline without the disconnecting process if a data repair line has oneside open according to an embodiment of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A liquid crystal display panel having an active area, comprising:a plurality of gate lines formed on a substrate in one direction; a plurality of data lines crossing the gate lines; and a plurality of repair lines crossing a predetermined number of the data lines twice and crossing the gate lines in the active area.
 2. The liquid crystal display panel as recited in claim 1, the repair lines comprising a first portion which crosses one end of the predetermined number of the data lines, a second portion which crosses the other end of the predetermined number of the data lines, and a third portion which connects the first and second portions together and which crosses the gate lines in the active area.
 3. A liquid crystal display panel having an active area, comprising:a plurality of gate lines formed on the substrate in horizontal direction; a plurality of data-line blocks, each including at least one of data lines which are formed on the substrate in vertical direction crossing the gate lines; and a plurality of repair lines crossing the data lines of a data-line block twice and crossing the gate lines in the active area, wherein a repair line is formed for each data-line block.
 4. The of liquid crystal display panel as recited in claim 3, wherein all the data lines of the data-line block cross twice at least one of the repair lines.
 5. The liquid crystal display panel as recited in claim 4, the repair line comprising a first portion which crosses one end of the data lines, a second portion which crosses the other end of the data lines, and a third portion which connects the first and second portions together and which crosses the gate lines in the active area.
 6. The liquid crystal display panel as recited in claim 5, wherein the third portion of the repair line which crosses the data lines of a data-line block is placed in close proximity to one of the data lines of the data-line block.
 7. The liquid crystal display panel as recited in claim 6, wherein the third portion of the repair line which crosses the data lines of the data-line block is placed in between two of the data lines of the data-line block.
 8. The liquid crystal display panel as recited in claim 5, wherein the first and second portions of the repair line which cross the data lines of a data-line block cross twice the data lines of an adjacent data-line block adjacent to the data-line block.
 9. The liquid crystal display panel as recited in claim 8, wherein one of the two repair lines crossing the data lines of a data-line block crosses the data lines from inside of the other repair line, and the former repair line crosses the data lines of an adjacent data-line block adjacent to the data-line block from outside of another repair line crossing the data lines of the adjacent data-line block.
 10. The liquid crystal display panel as recited in claim 5, wherein a data-line block has three data lines.
 11. The liquid crystal display panel as recited in claim 10, wherein the three data lines in a data-line block are red, green, and blue data lines, respectively.
 12. The liquid crystal display panel as recited in claim 11, wherein the third portion of the repair line is placed adjacent to the green data line of the data-line block.
 13. The liquid crystal display panel as recited in claim 12, further comprising a first connection connecting the green data line and the third portion of the repair line.
 14. The liquid crystal display panel as recited in claim 13, wherein the first connection connects the mid-points of the third portion of the repair line and the green data line.
 15. The of liquid crystal display panel as recited in claim 14, further comprising a second connection connecting the upper parts of the third portion of the repair line and the green data line and a third connection connecting the lower parts of the third portion of the repair line and the green data line.
 16. A method of repairing data lines of a liquid crystal display having a plurality of gate lines in one direction and a plurality of data lines crossing the gate lines in an active area of the liquid crystal display, comprising the steps of:forming a plurality of repair lines, each crossing both ends of at least one of the data lines and crossing the gate lines in the active area; and shorting the crossing points of the repair line and a first-disconnected data line.
 17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the data lines are grouped into the data-line blocks having at least one data line, and all data lines of a first data-line block are crossed by a first repair line and by a second repair line which crosses all the data lines of a second data-line block adjacent to the first data-line block.
 18. The method as recited in claim 17, further comprising the step of: shorting the crossing point of the second repair line and a second-disconnected data line of the first data-line block including the first disconnected data line shorted to the first repair line.
 19. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the data lines include red, green, and blue data lines; and further comprising the step of forming a connection between the green data line and the repair line.
 20. The method as recited in claim 19, further comprising the step of disconnecting the connection when the first disconnected data line is the red or blue data line for transmitting red or blue picture signals. 